Buddy Holly: The Best of Buddy

Published 6:00 pm, Thursday, February 5, 2009

Photo: Charlie Neibergall

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Buddy Holly: The Best of Buddy

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Buddy Holly's greatests hits, and 20 more that should have been.

When you consider Buddy Holly's impact on modern day rock music, it's hard to believe he had only one No. 1 song ("That'll Be the Day"), and only other song, "Peggy Sue," that charted in the Top 10. He would have three more in the Top 20 and three more that were Top 40. His catalog of songs that did not chart in America are as good and as vibrant as the ones that did finish on the charts. Many of the songs that did not chart were recorded by other artists who did chart with them.

Buddy Holly's Charting Songs:

- No. 1: "That'll Be The Day"

- No. 3: "Peggy Sue"

- No. 10: "Oh, Boy!"

- No. 13: "It Doesn't Matter Anymore"

- No. 17: "Maybe Baby"

- No. 27: "Think it Over"

- No. 32: "Early in the Morning"

- No. 37: "Rave On"

Buddy Holly's Best Songs that did not chart in America:

- "Words "Words of Love," recorded by The Beatles on their first album

- "Rock Around With Ollie Vee," foot-stomping rockabilly dancer

- "Everyday," James Taylor had a hit with one of Buddy's earliest songs.

- "Rave On," One of Buddy's most inspired songs barely squeezed into the Top at No. 37. Using the lingo of a generation, it should have been a huge hit and today stands the test of time.

- "Think it Over"

- "It's So Easy," later popularized by Linda Ronstadt

- "Heartbeat"

- "Raining in My Heart," a hit for Leo Sayer but not Buddy Holly

- "Midnight Shift," as bawdy as Buddy Holly got. Great rockabilly

- "True Love Ways," Buddy's ode to Maria Elena Holly, who he would marry, it failed to hit the charts for the Lubbock native, but Mickey Gilley had an enormous No. 1 country hit with it during the Urban Cowboy era.